As a Spanish teacher and a bilingual mom, I’ve always believed in the power of making language learning fun and engaging. What better way to do this than by incorporating holidays and celebrations into our language lessons? Halloween, with its costumes, candy, and spooky fun, is the perfect occasion to immerse children in the Spanish language while having a blast. In this blog post, I’ll share strategies and activities for Spanish teachers and homeschool parents to celebrate Halloween, while expanding their children’s vocabulary and practicing language skills. ¡Vamos a empezar!

 

Pumpkin Carving or Decorating

Kick off your Halloween theme unit by having students carve or decorate pumpkins. As they create their spooky or funny designs, ask them to use Spanish words like “calabaza” (pumpkin), “fantasma” (ghost), or “araña” (spider) to describe their creations.

Halloween Craft Session

Organize a craft session where students create Halloween-themed crafts. Provide them with instructions in Spanish, and have them discuss the process in the target language.
For example, they can make spooky masks and follow instructions in Spanish, discussing the process using phrases like “Recorta aquí” (Cut here) or “Pega las alas” (Glue the wings). This encourages them to use the language actively while being creative.

Read Aloud in Spanish

Select a Halloween-themed children’s book in Spanish, or opt for a bilingual book if your students are at varying language levels. Read the book aloud, pausing to explain unfamiliar words like “espeluznante” (spooky) and “calabaza” (pumpkin). Encourage them to make predictions about the story, share their thoughts in Spanish, and discuss what they think will happen next.

Scary Halloween Stories in Spanish

As students get older, consider sharing spooky short stories or legends from Spanish-speaking countries. Share tales of “La Llorona” or “El Chupacabra” and discuss them in Spanish. Afterward, inspire creativity by having students craft their own stories. They can use phrases like “Había una vez” (Once upon a time) to start their stories, and “De repente” (Suddenly) to create suspense.

Cooking with a Halloween Twist

Prepare Halloween-themed snacks or treats together. Provide recipes and instructions in Spanish, and have students follow along. Encourage them to use Spanish phrases like “Añade azúcar” (Add sugar) or “Revuelve la mezcla” (Stir the mixture) to enhance their language skills while enjoying delicious treats. This activity combines language learning with practical life skills.

Halloween Costume Parade

Organize a costume parade where students dress up in their Halloween outfits. During the parade, have them introduce themselves and describe their costumes in Spanish. For example, they can say, “Soy un esqueleto” (I’m a skeleton) or “Mi disfraz tiene alas de murciélago” (My costume has bat wings). This adds a language-learning twist to the Halloween fun!

Halloween in Spanish Mystery Game

Create a mystery game where students need to solve a Halloween-related puzzle or riddle. Provide clues and instructions in Spanish, and encourage them to work together to decipher the mystery.

Halloween Word Search

Create a word search puzzle filled with Halloween-related vocabulary words in Spanish. Provide a list of words for children to find in the puzzle.

Crossword Puzzle

Design a crossword puzzle with clues in Spanish that correspond to Halloween words. Include both across and down clues.

Coloring Pages with Labels

Provide Halloween-themed coloring pages with labels in Spanish. Ask students to color the pictures and label the items with the correct Spanish words.

Halloween in Spanish Matching Game

Create a matching game where students have to pair Halloween vocabulary words with their corresponding pictures.

Sentence Building

Challenge students to build complete sentences using Halloween-related words in Spanish. For example, they could form sentences like “La bruja vuela en la escoba” (The witch flies on the broom) or “El murciélago es nocturno” (The bat is nocturnal), encouraging them to practice grammar and vocabulary in a meaningful context.

Halloween in Spanish Riddles

Challenge your students with Halloween riddles in Spanish, such as “Soy naranja y se talla en Halloween. ¿Qué soy?” (I’m orange and carved at Halloween. What am I?). Encourage them to think critically and respond with the correct answers using Spanish vocabulary.

Halloween Math Problems

Make math more engaging by incorporating Halloween-themed worksheets. Create problems that involve counting Halloween candies or calculating the number of pumpkins in a patch. For example, they can solve questions like “¿Cuántos caramelos tienes si tienes 3 bolsas con 5 caramelos cada una?” (How many candies do you have if you have 3 bags with 5 candies each?).

Halloween in Spanish Story Starters

Inspire creativity with Halloween-themed story starters in Spanish.Give students a creative nudge with beginnings like “En una noche de Halloween, un gato negro cruzó mi camino y…” (On a Halloween night, a black cat crossed my path, and…). Encourage them to continue the story using their imagination and Spanish language skills.

Labeling Activity

Provide students with pictures of Halloween scenes, like a haunted house or a spooky forest. Ask them to label the items in the picture using Spanish words. For instance, they can label a picture of a witch’s cauldron with “caldero de bruja.”

Halloween Bingo

Create Bingo cards with Halloween images like ghosts, bats, and pumpkins. Call out the words in Spanish, and have students mark the corresponding images on their cards.

Halloween Puzzles

Design simple jigsaw puzzles with Halloween pictures, and include labels in Spanish for each piece.

Halloween in Spanish Costume Design

Encourage students to get creative by designing their own Halloween costumes.They can draw and label their costumes using Spanish words.

Halloween Acrostic Poems

Provide the word “HALLOWEEN” vertically on the worksheet, and ask students to write Spanish words or phrases for each letter that relate to the holiday. For example, “H” for “huesos” (bones) and “E” for “esqueleto” (skeleton).

Halloween in Spanish Scavenger Hunt

Create a list of Halloween-themed items for students to find around the classroom or at home. They can write the Spanish names of the items they find as they complete the hunt.

Halloween is a great time to make learning Spanish fun. These activities can make your Halloween celebration special and educational. Learning Spanish doesn’t have to be scary; in fact, it can be a real treat! So, have a happy Halloween and good luck with your Spanish activities! Combine these fun things with the language exercises to create a Halloween-themed learning experience your students will remember for years to come.

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